The number of mobile subscribers on 4G networks will more than double over the next two years, as deployments gather momentum, Juniper Research claims.
Subscriber numbers will grow from 105 million in 2013 to 220 million in 2014, fuelled by growing deployment of LTE capable consumer devices, the research firm forecasts. That rising penetration also offers operators in emerging markets the opportunity to bypass 3G and move straight to 4G, with Juniper tipping TD-LTE as a viable option for such shifts due to its low cost relative to FD-LTE.
While senior analyst Nitin Bhas notes the success of TD-LTE depends on the availability of compatible smartphones, he predicts dual mode TD/FD-LTE devices “will soon become widely available and accessible for operators with TD spectrum.”
The firm also predicts that 4G revenues will hit $340 billion (€264 billion) globally by 2017, with 70% of those generated in North America, China and other Far Eastern markets.